THE FACTS

* What: 65th Masters tournament.

* When: Today through Sunday.

* Where: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga.

* Length: 6,985 yards. * Par: 36-36-72.

* Format: 72 holes of stroke play, sudden-death playoff if necessary.

* Purse: To be determined ($4.6 million in 2000).

* Field: 94 players, including five amateurs.

* Defending champion: Vijay Singh.

* Cut: At the end of 36 holes of play, the field will be reduced to the 44 lowest scores and ties, plus those within 10 strokes of the leader.

* Playoff: If there is a tie after 72 holes, a sudden-death playoff will commence at hole No. 10 and will continue until a champion is determined.

* Farewell: This will be the final year that Byron Nelson, 89, hits a ceremonial tee shot to start the Masters.

* Noteworthy: Tiger Woods is trying to become the first player to hold the four modern major titles at the same time. He won the 2000 U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship, setting scoring records in all. The 25-year-old star set the Masters record of 18-under 270 in his breakthrough 1997 victory. He took last week off after consecutive victories in the Bay Hill Invitational and the Players Championship. . . . The winner receives a five-year PGA Tour exemption, a lifetime Masters exemption and playing privileges at Augusta National. . . . Nick Price set the 18-hole mark of nine-under 63 in 1986, and Greg Norman matched it in 1996. . . . Six-time winner Jack Nicklaus is making his 42nd appearance.

* Quoteworthy: “It’s like a straight flush versus a royal flush.”--Brad Faxon, on whether it should be considered a grand slam if Tiger Woods were to win the Masters.

* Television (all times PDT): Today-Friday, USA Network, 1-3:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS, 12:30-3 p.m., CBS. Sunday, CBS, 1-4 p.m.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR INVITATION

1. Masters champions (lifetime).

2. U.S. Open champions (honorary, noncompeting after five years).

3. British Open champions (honorary, noncompeting after five years).

4. PGA champions (honorary, noncompeting after five years).

5. Winners of the Players Championship (three years).

6. Current U.S. Amateur champion (6-A) (honorary, noncompeting after one year); runner-up (6-B) to the current U.S. Amateur champion.

7. Current British Amateur champion (honorary, noncompeting after one year).

8. Current U.S. Amateur Public Links champion.

9. Current U.S. Mid-Amateur champion.

10. The first 16 players, including ties, in the previous year’s Masters tournament.

11. The first eight players, including ties, in the previous year’s U.S. Open.

12. The first four players, including ties, in the previous year’s PGA Championship.

13. The first four players, including ties, in the previous year’s British Open.

14. The 40 leaders from the final official PGA Tour money list for the previous calendar year.

15. The three leaders on the current official PGA Tour money list published during the fourth week before the current Masters.

16. The 50 leaders on the final official world golf ranking for the previous calendar year.

17. The 50 leaders on the official world golf ranking published during the fourth week before the current Masters.

Note: The Masters Committee, at its discretion, also invites international players not otherwise qualified.

TODAY’S TEE TIMES

Tee times for the first round of the Masters, which begins today at Augusta National Golf Club (all times PDT):

5:11 a.m.: Billy Casper, Doug Ford, Charles Coody.

5:22 a.m.: Dudley Hart, Carlos Franco, Tom Scherrer.

5:33 a.m.: Larry Mize, Paul Lawrie, Eduardo Romero.

5:44 a.m.: Tommy Aaron, Michael Campbell, Notah Begay III.

5:55 a.m.: Sandy Lyle, Chris DiMarco, Greg Chalmers.

5:06 a.m.: Ben Crenshaw, Nick Price, Franklin Langham.

5:17 a.m.: Jim Furyk, Jesper Parnevik, Rocco Mediate.

5:28 a.m.: Ian Woosnam, Sergio Garcia, Bob May.

5:39 a.m.: Nick Faldo, Scott Hoch, Jeff Maggert.

5:50 a.m.: Raymond Floyd, Jose Coceres, David Toms.

7:01 a.m.: Hal Sutton, Joe Durant, Aaron Baddeley.

7:12 a.m.: Tom Watson, a-James Driscoll, Shigeki Maruyama.

7:23 a.m.: Davis Love III, Padraig Harrington, Chris Perry.

7:34 a.m.: Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Thomas Bjorn.

7:45 a.m.: Tom Lehman, Retief Goosen, Pierre Fulke.

7:56 a.m.: Fred Couples, a-D.J. Trahan, Stuart Appleby.

8:07 a.m.: Fuzzy Zoeller, Greg Norman, Stewart Cink.

8:18 a.m.: Seve Ballesteros, a-Greg Puga, Steve Stricker.

8:20 a.m.: Craig Stadler, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Darren Clarke.

8:40 a.m.: Brad Faxon, Justin Leonard, Grant Waite.

8:51 a.m.: Paul Azinger, Mark Brooks, Rory Sabbatini.

9:02 a.m.: Lee Janzen, Shingo Katayama, Steve Flesch.

9:13 a.m.: Vijay Singh, a-Jeff Quinney, Loren Roberts.

9:24 a.m.: Jose Maria Olazabal, Angel Cabrera, Kirk Triplett.

9:35 a.m.: Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player.

9:46 a.m.: Scott Verplank, Robert Allenby, John Huston.

9:57 a.m.: Tiger Woods, a-Mikko Ilonen, Mike Weir.

10:08 a.m.: Bernhard Langer, Duffy Waldorf, Dennis Paulson.

10:19 a.m.: Mark O’Meara, Toshi Izawa, Mark Calcavecchia.

10:30 a.m.: David Duval, Colin Montgomerie, Jonathan Kaye.

10:41 a.m.: Gay Brewer, Steve Jones, Steve Lowery.

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